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We chat with the Swiss-born chef and restaurateur about his experiences, what inspires him, and some of the greatest lessons he’s learnt
Swiss-born chef and restaurateur Andreas Caminada is highly regarded for his approach to European cuisine, using superior techniques to achieve a perfect balance of textures and flavours, with just a touch of culinary creativity. Having completed his apprenticeship at Hotel Signina in Laax, Switzerland, he went on to hold key positions at numerous restaurants in Switzerland and neighbouring countries before opening his restaurant Schloss Schauenstein in 2003, which is housed in an 18th century castle.
Hong Kong Tatler Dining: How has growing up in Graubünden affected your style of cooking?
Andreas Caminada: Graubünden is a beautiful place to live, with mountains and sun-drenched valleys. The traditional cuisine is very wide ranging, and there is a wealth of local ingredients: fresh brook trout and char, bacon, ham, air-cured beef, onions and potatoes. These are all the basic flavours of Graubünden cuisine, and at my restaurant Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau, we aim to give them a modern twist.
HKTD: What are your favourite ingredients to cook with?
AC: Cooking seasonally is very important to me. I really enjoy the changing times and how I can use different ingredients in each season, such as the deer that is coming into season now. I like to keep my dishes light, taking one ingredient and transforming it into another by cooking it in different ways, and then putting it on the plate with another ingredient. You can get all kinds of flavours and textures depending on how you pair the ingredients, and how everything is cooked.
HKTD: What are some signature dishes that best represent your cuisine?
AC: Well, there are quite a few, of course. I think one of them is certainly the saddle of venison wrapped in bacon with spiced bread, dried pear, apple and parsnips, but I’m also proud of our goose liver in six different flavours, as well as the langoustine, veal tartare and chilli reduction. One of our star desserts is blackberry and verbena.
HKTD: What is the greatest thing you’ve learnt through the years in the culinary industry?
I started in the industry 11 years ago, but over time as we’ve grown, it has been very important to keep my own line of cooking but also to develop it for the current palate. I still try to keep the same style of cooking, but at the same time it’s completely different. We didn’t have a magazine back then, but now we publish our own, Caminada, twice a year. For the magazine, we need to constantly develop new dishes for the next season, but it’s important that the new dishes remain true to who we are.
HKTD: What is the experience you want your guests to have while dining at Schloss Schauenstein?
AC: I have lots of plans for Schloss Schauenstein and my own cuisine. Obviously, our top priority is to maintain our high quality standards and offer our guests an all-round culinary experience. To achieve that, I need a team of employees who share and project my philosophy, both in the kitchen and throughout the hotel. It’s all about attention to detail, taking care of the little things, and understanding instinctively what your guests needs. These are all key to our success.
